I felt like my whole body was fixed in place.
In my earpiece came the backstage staff’s lowered but tense voices. Several people kept asking “what happened,” but no one dared to run onstage and stop it.
The audience went quiet for one second.
The next moment, angry shouts rose like a wave.
“Where is he? We came for the superstar!”
“Who is that? Walked onto the wrong stage?”
“Get off!!”
Maeve held the mic, her voice shaking, going off-key as soon as she tried to sing.
Her already weak singing collapsed even more in this situation, every line harder to listen to.
My head rang, and ignoring all formality, I nearly rushed to the backstage area, coldly telling them to cut the music right away.
But someone blocked me.
He looked uneasy. “Ma’am… this was President Payne’s plan.”
I was stopped by Zion’s people and kept from getting onstage.
That song was forced to the end by Maeve.
The shouting in the venue grew even louder.
Based on the planned schedule, next was Zion’s speech.
In front of countless cameras, he began, “These past few years, for ‘Knowing Me’ to reach this point, it also needs to thank one person.”
“If not for Maeve’s livestream support, the rise of ‘Knowing Me’ wouldn’t have happened this fast.”
“Today’s growth of ‘Knowing Me’ is thanks to Maeve.”
The audience burst out again.
I shut my eyes, my chest tightening again and again.
My phone shook nonstop in my hand.
The PR team, investors, partners, core staff… calls came one after another.
Yet Zion stood on that stage, openly protecting his mistress.
He treated everyone’s hard work like a tool to please a woman.
After his speech ended, the host almost rushed out to save the scene, quickly pulling the event back on schedule, bringing out the famous young actor we originally invited. Only then did the mood barely settle.
But the programs that followed became more and more rushed.
And offstage, Zion stayed at the side, softly comforting Maeve.
Her eyes were red, quietly crying. “It’s all my fault… if I hadn’t gone off-key, no one would yell at you like this.”
Zion’s voice was gentle, even pampering. “It’s fine, people forget fast, it’ll fade soon.”
I couldn’t stand it anymore, so I walked over and held my phone in front of him.
On the screen was the fresh top trending tag.
#KnowingMeFiveYearAnniversaryDisaster
#ZionBringsMistressOnStage
I stared at him, asking each word clearly. “No big deal?”
“Zion, tell me—”
“Who is going to make up for the losses caused today?!”
Clearly, Zion had never expected people online to push back against Maeve this hard.
The livestream of “Knowing Me” was nearly drowned out; the rolling comments were packed with jokes and doubts.
The backstage inbox was blowing up.
I held the trending page toward him. In just a few seconds, the phone shook several more times; every call was from a business partner.
But he only wrinkled his brow a little.
“Is it that serious?”
“Players just want some emotional comfort. Give them a few free skins, some limited outfits, and they’ll forget.”
Zion spoke casually, “I’ll take care of tonight’s losses. Don’t make a big fuss.”
As soon as he finished, partners rushed over to pull him away; there was a pile of follow-up chaos waiting for him.
Once Zion left, the always quiet and obedient Maeve finally raised her head.
The fear on her face vanished in an instant, replaced with a barely hidden smug look.
“Natalie, look at you, so what if you’re pregnant?”
“You can’t even hold onto your man.”
“The way you look now, you’re already being pushed aside. Why not be smart and hand over your spot? If you wait until they throw you out, it’ll only look worse.”
I looked at her and said calmly, “What are you, that you think you can talk to me?”
Her expression froze, and she opened her mouth angrily.
I didn’t let her continue.
I slapped her.
Clear and loud in the tight backstage room.
“Being a mistress is one thing, but someone as cheap as you, this is the first time I’ve seen it!”
Maeve held her cheek, stunned. Then tears fell in streams.
And almost at that moment, Zion rushed back.
He pushed me aside without holding back, pulling Maeve straight into his arms.
“What happened? Maeve, who bullied you?”
Curled in his arms, she cried hard, “Brother Zion… I only wanted to explain to Sister…”
“But she called me cheap and suddenly hit me…”
Twisting the truth completely, her words flowed smoothly.
I had been shoved by Zion so hard I stumbled, my back hitting a nearby camera, the metal edge sending a sharp sting through me.
My stomach tightened.
But Zion was already staring at me coldly.
“Natalie, have you made enough trouble?”
“Look at yourself now, what part of you still looks like Mrs. Payne? You look just like a jealous, loud woman!”
“What decent woman in our circle acts like this, bullying normal people?”
“How did you become so harsh? We’ve only been married five years, how did you turn into this? Where did the gentle you from before go?”
I held my stomach, my fingers cold, fighting the pain in my nose.
“So what?”
“Is kindness only when I swallow everything, hide and cry, stay quiet, fight for nothing? Is that what you call kind?”
“Like before, staying home feeling miserable, pretending not to notice anything, only then do you see me as a good wife?”
I lifted my head to look at him, my voice shaking.
“I’m not the same as five years ago.”
“And you? Zion…”
“You brought your mistress home, getting more bold every day, are you still the Zion who once said he only loved me?!”
